It's not bringing the tone down at all. It's how I was raised, on classical music. Dad would sing the top part and I would pick one of the orchestral instruments. The way I was taught to listen was to learn the solo in my head, then put that to one size and learn the orchestral pieces. Every time I hear a piece that I was raised on, it's new as I h ear something else. It also depends on who conducts as well as the producer of the records.
Now rap - far too fast for me
I simply can't keep up. MayB if I listened to the words separately then added the rhythm
Say a Little Prayer for Me - can't remember the singer